programme
1994 - "Futurism Events"Satie and friendsSATIE ET SES AMISLa Belle Excentrique Fantasie s�rieuse Music by Erik Satie Mask and costume by Jean Cocteau Grande Retournelle Marche franco-lunaire Valse du Myst�rieux Baiser dans l'Oeil Cancan Grand-Mondain Socrate Drame symphonique avec voix Text by Erik Satie based on the "Dialogues" by Plato Music by Erik Satie, two piano version by John Cage Scenic choreography by Alexander Calder realized by Teatro La Fenice of Venezia Portrait de Socrate Sur les bords de l'Illissus Mort de Socrate LA BELLE EXCENTRIQUE Fantaisie s�rieuse Grande Ritournelle 1. Marche franco-lunaire 2. Valse du Myst�rieux Baiser dans l'Oeil 3. Cancan grand-mondain Satie composed this work in three parts with a "grande ritournelle" for the debut of the eccentric dancer Caryathis, born Elisabeth Toulemon, who later became the writer Elise Jouhandeau. Satie had met Caryathis within the Groupe des Six. The aesthetics of the music-hall, at that time defended by Jean Cocteau, made him adopt the theme of a song, L�gende californienne, he composed at the beginning of the XX century for the caf�-concert. In order to differentiate the dances, Satie wanted the dancer to change her costumes at each entr�e. As none of the painters contacted - Van Dongen, Jean Hugo, Marie Laurecin - was able to find out an adequate solution, an idea by Cocteau was finally adopted: a unique costume for the whole performance which should give the dancer the appeareance of an "overseas revanchist fool, returning form a beauty-farm" with a mask "vaguely disquieting and silly melancholic". First performed on June 16th, 1921 at the Colis�e theatre, La Belle Excentrique was performed again that same summer at the Oasis, the private theatre Paul Poiret built in his garden. For the season 1924/1925 Diaghilev had decided to present La Belle Excentrique together with the Ballets Russes. Beacause of a mistake in the present musical edition, that divides this work in four movements (instead of three plus a refrain), the Grande Ritournelle has always been considered an ouverture. For the first time the edition by Teatro La Fenice of Venice restores the original order of the movements. |
